Worship this Sunday, December 24
Worship Series: Let it be now
Worship Leader: Louise Hostetter
Song Leader: Angie Clemens
Preacher: Dayna Olson-Getty
Children’s Story: Duane Miller
Scripture Reader: Art Stoltzfus
Pastoral Prayer: Jennifer Davis Sensenig
Prelude/Offertory: Angie and Jim Clemens
Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Luke 1:26-38
Bulletin: 122417-bulletin.docx
Upcoming CMC Events
Sun, Dec 24 Christmas Eve Service, 6 pm
Mon-Tues, Dec 25-26 Church Office Closed
Sun, Dec 31 Christmas breads, 8:30 am; Worship, 10 am, No Sunday School
Fri, Dec 29-Tues, Jan 2 Church Office Closed
CMC Events and Announcements
No Church Recess. Please note there will be no supervised church recess for children during the worship service on December 24 and December 31.
Christmas Eve Peace Offering. Each year CMC designates the offering from our Christmas Eve service to go to a local ministry or charity. This year’s offering will go to The Cheese Ministry, which supports local dairy farmers and local food pantries. For more information, see the poster in the Fellowship Hall.
Church Office Closed. Please note that the church office will be closed for the Christmas and New Year holiday on Mon-Tues, December 25-26 and Fri, December 29-Tues, January 2. The church office will be open on Wednesday, December 27 and Thursday, December 28. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Pastor Schedules. Pastor Jason and Pastor Jennifer will be traveling to visit family the week of December 25-29. If you have an urgent pastoral care need during that time, you may contact Pastor Dayna at 919-236-9796.
Offering on December 31. Please note that donations collected during the offering in the December 31 worship service will be counted towards the 2017 budget and tax year.
Christmas Breads on Sunday, December 31. On Sunday Dec. 31, all are invited to bring Christmas breads, leftover cookies, or other breakfast treats such as egg casseroles and fruit to share before worship. Hospitality committee will provide coffee and tea. Coffee will be ready at 8:30 am.
Looking for a Small Group? The CMC Small Group Committee has created a small group opportunity called the Open Circle. It will meet monthly on Second Saturdays at 6 pm in room 109 of the church. This group invites folks who are looking for a way to connect with others in the church through fellowship, discussion and mutual support. So if you are new to the congregation, new to the idea of small groups, or are not currently in a small group and are looking for a way to connect, you are invited. The circle is always open! Children are welcome and there will be snacks. Contact Adam Yoder for more information at yodera@yahoo.com or 540-810-3376. The next Open Circle will gather on January 13, 2018.
CMC Women's Bible Study Beginning in January. Not everyone is available 8:30-10am on Wednesdays, but we think some of us are. CMC will sponsor a women's Bible study on Wednesday mornings beginning Jan 10th. Our Bible study and conversation will relate to the scriptures included in the previous Sunday's worship service. The first series (Jan 10-Feb 7) will focus on Treasures in Clay. The second series (Feb 14-March 21) will focus on Lent. Childcare will be provided. Please RSVP to the church office if you're planning to join us!
Pastoral gathering with faculty, staff and administrators of all public schools. Pastoral Team is testing a date for a "coffee break" (actually it may be more like a lite supper) and conversation with CMCers who are employees of any local public school. If you are interested in participating, and available on Thursday, January 25th at 5:30 pm at The Gathering Place (841 Mt. Clinton Pike), please RSVP by contacting the church office (433-2148 or cmc_office@cmcva.org). Also, if you can't make it, let us know if you would like another opportunity like this later this winter. — Pastoral Team
Pastoral Support. CMC has a network of small groups and other friendships that provide a great deal of mutual care for persons in our congregation. For some protracted or acute situations that households are facing we also have Care Teams. These teams, led by a pastor, are usually 4-5 persons discerned by those seeking support and the pastor. Households who might benefit from a Care Team include: persons facing serious physical or mental illness and caregivers, challenging parenting circumstances, discernment in job transition or other major life events. To assess whether a Care Team might be helpful, contact a member of Pastoral Team.
Interested in Being an Usher? Four new people are needed starting in late January. Ushers are on duty once a month and head usher once a quarter. Be in touch with Jennifer North Bauman if you are interested or need more information. baumanj@emu.edu or 540-801-9304
New address for Ken and MarthaJune Graber. Please note that Ken and MarthaJune have moved. Their new contact information is: Ken and MarthaJune Graber, 1548 Hawthorne Circle, Harrisonburg, VA 22802, 540-574-3816.
Sunday School Connection. Below is a weekly note for families of children (age 4 and up) who use the Shine curriculum. Each Sunday you will find faith nurture ideas that coordinate with the weekly Sunday school session plans. Note that these stories will not necessarily coincide with the CMC worship series during this quarter.
Faith Talk. Luke 2:1–7: “Jesus is born” Here are some ways to nurture faith at home based on this week’s story. (1) Have family members act out the story as someone reads Luke 2:1–7. (2) Share favorite Christmas memories. Is there a new tradition you’d like to start this year? (3) Search YouTube to find Christmas songs from around the world.
Did you know? Augustus was a title rather than the name of the Roman emperor. What was his official name? (Gaius Julius Caesar)
Prayer for the week: God, who comes wrapped in swaddling cloth, be near to us this Christmas season. Amen.
Children’s Bible Memory Passages This Quarter: Early Childhood: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace.” Luke 2:14a; Primary and Middler: And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. Luke 2:13–16
Music and Worship Leaders Retreat. The annual Music & Worship Leaders Retreat at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center will take place January 5-7, 2018. This program gathers a wide variety of individuals interested in worship, including new music or worship leaders looking to become stronger leaders, experienced leaders looking for a refresher course to help them improve their effectiveness in their congregations, or anyone with a love for music and worship who is discerning their gifts and interested in exploring that more. More information can be found here: http://www.laurelville.org/our-programs/mwlr/ If you have any questions or have interest in attending this year's retreat as a representative from CMC, please contact Katie Derstine (katiederstine@gmail.com).
'FIRST FAMILIES' AT CMC. A photographic review of November worship services focusing on characters and relationships from the book of Genesis and a photo flashback to EMU's Homecoming and Centennial celebrations, Oct. 13-15, continue on display through this Sunday on the "Community Mennonite Church: Today" bulletin board on the west wall of the fellowship hall. In addition, you'll find posted a yuletide Christmas shopping apology, 'A Mall and the Night Visitor" – a "Virginia Ham" column from the 12/14/2000 issue of Mennonite Weekly Review – and a CMC congregational report for Sept.-Oct. from the 12/4/2017 issue of MWR.
ADVENT-AGEOUS ADVENT-URE. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear by gazing eastward to a double-photo collage full of people and events from Advent 2016, shining brightly on the "Community Mennonite Church: Yesterday" bulletin board on the east wall of the fellowship hall. Do you see what I see . . .? –Jim Bishop
RARE AIR FARE. Jim Bishop digs deep into his musical storehouse of seasonal selections and comes up with the ingredients for "A Christmas Potpourri," an hour of favorite, eclectic yule tunes from the Mennonite Hour Singers to the New Christy Minstrels to the Boston Camerata to the Moody Blues, 6 p.m. Christmas Eve on Newstalk 550 and 92.1, WSVA.
Events and Announcements from the Broader Community
An Invitation for Young Adults: Shenandoah Valley Faith & Light would like to invite young adults into friendship with persons with intellectual disabilities. Join us once a month on a Friday evening for an informal, get-to-know-you supper, followed by worship. In June, we will celebrate new friendships with a weekend worship retreat at Camp Overlook. There is no cost to you for these activities, other than your time. For more information, contact Dave Gullman (pastor at Pleasant View, dgullman@pleasantviewinc.org) or Derek Yoder (student at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, derek.yoder@emu.edu).
Shenandoah Valley Men's Chorus 2018. Our first practice is on January 7th at EMHS; practice from 2:30-4:15 p.m. Practices are scheduled for subsequent Sunday afternoons in January and February with final concerts scheduled on February 25, 2018. You are invited to join our group and participate. (Come early for registration and to pay for your music: $20 or $10 for students). For more information, contact Roman Miller at romanjaymiller@gmail.com